Current Final

Category: Politics

  • What’s going on in Karachi? It’s not just flooding…

    What’s going on in Karachi? It’s not just flooding…

    As many as 19 people died in various rain-related incidents in the port city on Thursday, taking the tally of deaths during the three-day monsoon spell in the city to 30.

    While blame games continue as authorities hesitate to take responsibility for the lack of monsoon infrastructure in the country’s largest city, the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) wants all stakeholders to contribute in ameliorating the situation instead of politicising a “pure natural disaster”.

    HOW MUCH HAS IT RAINED?

    Meteorological officials said downpours in August have shattered the 89-year-old record for the city. Some 484mm (19 inches) of rain has fallen this month so far, 130mm on Thursday alone, they said.

    According to data released by the Met Office, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Faisal Base recorded 130 millimetres of rain while Nazimabad has recorded 105.6mm since Thursday morning. Mausamiyat received 74.3mm of rain, while Saadi Town recorded 72mm. About 98.5mm of rain was recorded in PAF Masroor Base, Surjani received 73mm while Kemari recorded 82.5mm.

    Many major arteries witnessed severe traffic jams. Power was suspended in several areas as a precautionary measure, a K-Electric spokesperson said.

    Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Suhail Rajput urged people not to leave their homes during the spell which, according to a Met Office prediction, is expected to continue for another two days.

    Videos and photos making rounds on social media showed submerged cars and motorcycles and water entering houses and buildings, wreaking havoc in the provincial capital.

    Scores of social media users, including Federal Minister Ali Zaidi, posted videos and pictures showing Defence Housing Authority flooded with rainwater after heavy showers pounded the city for hours.

    “This is DHA KHI,” Zaidi wrote on Twitter, adding, “Bang in front of my house- which is now partly flooded- but many homes in the neighborhood are under 4 feet of water”.

    “May Allah have mercy on those who live in low lying areas of this city,” he said in another tweet.

    “This is DHA Phase 6 Karachi. What is happening in the low-lying areas of KHI today is devastating yet once again. Testing times for Karachiites yet again! No doubt Allah tests those He loves the most,” he said in another tweet.

    Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, in a tweet, said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is monitoring the situation that has arisen in Karachi due to the torrential rains.

    “Briefed PM Imran Khan over Sindh rain situation, Karachi needs special attention. This is an unusual and abnormal rain situation which requires an emergency response. PM is monitoring the situation and assured to take any action required,” tweeted Ismail.

    The premier himself has also tweeted over the disastrous situation in the port city.

    In a subsequent tweet, he said that a plan for a permanent solution to the problems facing the people of Karachi will also soon be announced.

    RELIEF, RESCUE OPERATION CONTINUES:

    In a statement, the military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that many areas were inundated and people stranded due to heavy rains in various parts of Sindh.

    An Army Flood Emergency Control Centre has been established in Karachi for assisting flood victims while a medical camp has been set up at the district centre of Gulberg, Liaquatabad and New Karachi for providing necessary medical care, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

    It said the dewatering of more than 36 sites in Karachi had been completed while cooked meals covering 10,000 people had been distributed among flood victims in various areas.

    The following telephone numbers can be contacted for immediate assistance by the army:

    • 021-34491082

    • 021-99247267

    • 021-99207795

    Meanwhile, army engineers completed the enhancement of the bund along M9 near the Northern Bypass to avoid flooding.

    Army troops also filled a breach in the Malir River near Quaidabad, according to the ISPR. “Pakistan Army engineer boats are busy shifting people to safer places,” the statement said.

    A relief and medical camp has also been established in Latifabad area of Hyderabad. Food was provided to the affected population while army engineers were busy in dewatering various areas, it added.

    According to the ISPR, army troops “have been forwardly placed at Dadu for any eventuality and spillover at Nai Gaj Dam”.

    The banks of Puran Nullah in tehsil Jhudo of Mirpurkhas district had been damaged due to heavy rains, as a result of which water entered the nearest five villages. However, the breach was plugged with the combined efforts of army troops and civil administration to stop the flow of water to these areas, the ISPR said.

    The statement came a day after the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, directed Karachi crops to step up flood relief operations.

    Meanwhile, the personnel of Pakistan Rangers Sindh continued the relief and rescue operation in the rain-affected areas of Karachi in a coordinated manner.

    According to the Rangers spokesperson, the Rangers constituted separate teams for relief and rescue work to carry out the operation in a faster manner while reserve teams were also present in various areas to deal with any kind of emergency.

    Rations were also being distributed in the areas where food supply is low with the help of philanthropists.

    Rangers asked the people to contact Rangers helpline 1101, Rangers check post or WhatsApp number 0347-9001111 for immediate assistance regarding rescue or relief.

    Pakistan Navy’s rescue and relief operation also continued in various parts of the city during heavy spell of rain.

    Pakistan Navy Emergency Response and rescue teams evacuated stranded people to safer places and recovered bodies being washed away in flash flood, a Pakistan Navy press release said.

    In assistance to civil administration, Pakistan Navy Emergency Response teams along with boats and requisite life-saving equipment were deployed in different areas of the city, including Diamond City Malir, Shah Faisal Town, Korangi Crossing, Sammo goth and Bahria Town Karachi.

    During search and rescue operations, Pakistan Navy divers recovered two dead bodies from Shah Faisal Town and Korangi crossing areas while 55 individuals were evacuated from flooded areas of Malir and Korangi crossing. Besides, Rescue teams have also evacuated 20 families stranded in Sammo Goth and shifted them to safe place.

    Pakistan Navy’s helicopter conducted aerial recce of Korangi crossing, Quaidabad (Malir nadi), and Goth Shafi Muhammad while aerial recce with the help of a quadcopter was also carried out in Saddar Town in support of relief operations to localise individuals requiring assistance. Additionally, ration bags and cooked meal was also dropped at various areas.

    FLIGHT SCHEDULE DISRUPTED:

    Meanwhile, the flight schedule was disrupted at Jinnah International Airport Karachi due to rough weather and heavy rainfall. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced the suspension of a number of its flights on Thursday due to torrential rains in the port city.

    A Lahore-bound private airline flight-522 and Islamabad bound PK-368 flight have been delayed, said the CAA spokesperson.

    Moreover, Karachi to Faisalabad flight PK-540 and Lahore-bound Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight PK-304 have also been delayed.

    NETWORK OUTAGES AMID POWER BREAKDOWN:

    The national telecom regulator informed on Friday that cellular services in the city were not blocked and outages faced by users were due to the prolonged power breakdown.

    Speaking to Geo, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) spokesperson Khurram Mehran said, “Due to prolonged power failure in the city, many towers are out of service and their generators are shut because there’s no fuel to power them.”

    Mehran said the blockages have nothing to do with Muharram security, as was being speculated in some circles.

    The power utility, K-Electric, meanwhile claimed that its teams were working to the best of their ability to deal with the current circumstances and restore electricity with limited available resources.

    “Many KE vehicles got stuck in flooded roads and streets across the city. Also, our staff is working in long shifts because relievers were unable to make it to service centers due to water logging,” the company said in a statement issued earlier today.

    KE therefore warned that restoration work may take longer than expected time as the situation remains ‘difficult’.

    HUB DAM FILLS TO MAXIMUM CAPACITY:

    The water level in Hub Dam, which supplies water to Karachi and meets the water needs of several areas in Balochistan, crossed the 339-foot mark yesterday and filled to its maximum capacity for the first time in 13 years.

    The water level in the dam had risen due to the recent spell of torrential rains in Karachi and Sindh and the dam has now begun to flow out from the spillways into the sea near Mubarak Village.

    The WAPDA administration had earlier closed the Hub Dam to visitors in view of health hazards. However, residents of the settlements around the dam, residents of the Hub Dam Residential Colony, Karachi residents and others arrived in large numbers in the spillway area to witness the streams overflowing, which look much like waterfalls.

    In the catchment area of Hub Dam, which stretches up to the mountain range of Balochistan, the water level has risen by more than 9 feet in three days.

  • Six cases against Malik Riaz’s son-in-law dropped after payment of Rs9.5 billion

    Six cases against Malik Riaz’s son-in-law dropped after payment of Rs9.5 billion

    Zain Malik, the son-in-law of property tycoon Malik Riaz, has been acquitted by an accountability court in six cases pertaining to fake accounts after he pledged to pay Rs9.5 billion in plea bargain, Dawn reported.

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) submitted a schedule of payment to the accountability court.

    Accountability Court judge Mohammad Bashir took up applications of Mr Malik seeking acquittal in three under-trial cases and approved them.

    Zain undertook to mortgage his six properties and pay Rs4 billion in one case, Rs170 million in another and Rs37 million in the third case to NAB, Rawalpindi Directorate, in three years. He will pay the amount in instalments in three months’ interval.

    He joined the court’s proceeding through a video link from the UK.

    When the judge asked Zain whether he knew consequences of acquittal through the plea bargain, he replied in the affirmative.

    The acquittal under the plea bargain did not absolve the accused from the case as the conviction stands despite acquittal.

    He is accused in the fake accounts cases of Pink Residency, Illegal Allotment and Mega Money Laundering. He is also an accused in the Icon Tower case of Karachi and has to formally plead in the accountability court in this case for acquittal under the plea bargain.

  • Ruete Hilal Committee to be restructured, Mufti Muneeb likely to be replaced

    Ruete Hilal Committee to be restructured, Mufti Muneeb likely to be replaced

    The federal government has reportedly decided to restructure and empower the country’s premium moon-sighting body, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee (RHC), by replacing its Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman and most of his peers.

    The RHC was established in 1974 under a resolution passed by the National Assembly (NA) but no rules and regulations for the functioning of the committee have been drafted to date.

    Reports by multiple media outlets quoted sources in the Ministry of Religious Affairs as saying that a summary has been prepared along with a new bill seeking to reconstitute the moon sighting body and its Terms of Reference (ToRs).

    The summary, along with the draft bill, has been sent to the Ministry of Law and Justice for further deliberations and legal opinions. Imprisonment of five years besides a fine of Rs50,000 to Rs200,000 has also been proposed in case of a parallel announcement in contradiction with the government committee.

    The draft mentioned that the incumbent chairman and members of the RHC would be replaced, while some existing and new religious scholars would be inducted in the committee.

    It may be noted that reshuffling in the committee is said to be occurring due to the differences in dates of moon-sighting following Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry’s criticism over old-fashioned and outdated moon-sighting techniques rather than relying upon the scientific technology.

  • ‘Imran govt took more loans in two years than Nawaz govt in three tenures’

    ‘Imran govt took more loans in two years than Nawaz govt in three tenures’

    The Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has borrowed more money in two years than all loans taken by former PM Nawaz Sharif’s governments over 25 years in all three tenures, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif has claimed.

    The statement came as senior leaders of the PML-N, at a press conference in Islamabad, took turns to criticise the government’s performance in different areas, while presenting a white paper titled “Destruction of National Power” on the PTI’s two-year rule.

    They accused the government of having ruined the country’s economy through its incompetence and pro-elite policies, saying the ruling party had promised a new Pakistan but the people today were yearning for “old Pakistan”.

    According to Dawn, the criticism began with PML-N president and opposition leader, Shehbaz Sharif, lashing out at the premier, saying it did not know the basics of governance and did not care about issues facing the masses.

    “When we talk about the tabdeeli sarkar [regime of change], we don’t find anything to acknowledge but sadness and pain in the past two years,” he said, adding that inflation caused due to the government’s policies had brought the common man “to the brink of destruction”.

    In contrast, he claimed, the PML-N during its tenure under Nawaz’s leadership carried out “historic development” and completed projects at a fast pace that resulted in prosperity.

    He said the incumbent government had “ridiculed” the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and levelled allegations against the PML-N. “But not a penny’s worth of corruption could be proven. Their plans backfired,” Shehbaz added.

    He said the PTI had failed to prove corruption in any of the projects started by Nawaz despite its “incessant propaganda”.

    Today, he said, sugar was being sold at above Rs100 per kilogramme and was being imported, even though previously the government had allowed its exports to benefit certain persons.

    He noted that it was the “first time in the country’s 72-year history” that there was a shortage of wheat even though the harvesting season had not yet ended, while a minister was wondering where the millions of tonnes of wheat collected by the government went. “Who is he asking? They should know where it went [and was] smuggled to,” Shehbaz said.

    He also said the government had given the public the “biggest shock” by raising petroleum prices even though international prices were very low, and it raised electricity prices to control circular debt but the prices were “touching the sky”, beyond the reach of the common man.

    “Enough electricity exists in the country but load-shedding is still ongoing due to this government’s worst incompetence,” the PML-N president alleged.

    Shehbaz also said the government had devalued the rupee by 40 per cent but in spite of this, no substantial rise in exports was seen. He further said it was the second time in Pakistan’s history that GDP growth had gone negative, to -0.4pc.

    Khawaja Asif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also criticised the government for its “failure” on the foreign policy front and over energy sector losses.

  • Does CM Buzdar consider himself Sher Shah Suri or Wasim Akram? Here’s what he has to say…

    Does CM Buzdar consider himself Sher Shah Suri or Wasim Akram? Here’s what he has to say…

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar, when asked during an interview if he considers himself Wasim Akram or Sher Shah Suri, has said people can see for themselves what he is.

    Buzdar was called “Wasim Akram Plus” by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan when he anointed him, and Suri Empire founder “Sher Shah Suri” by his colleague and Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan amid criticism over “inability to run the province” and “not being the right choice”.

    Speaking to Geo, the provincial chief executive of Punjab also said those spreading rumours about his expulsion from the office want to destabilise the province and the country at large.

    Dismissing the same, he said he enjoys full trust of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, which some people do not like at all.

    When asked why he seems to avoid the media so much, he said that liking for him still existed in the media.

    Replying to a question about the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), he said that fixing anybody on political grounds was quite an inappropriate act.

    CM Buzdar also said that the government was not bothered by the opposition even if it took to streets.

  • PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal accidentally arrives at accountability court, sent back home

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former federal minister Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday accidentally arrived at an accountability court in Islamabad, from where he was sent back home by court staff.

    As per the details, the PML-N stalwart, against whom the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a reference over alleged corruption in the Narowal Sport City project, is to appear before the court tomorrow (Wednesday).

    He, however, mistakenly arrived at the court a day earlier and was informed that his hearing wasn’t until a day later, after which he returned back home.

    Reacting to The Current‘s report on Twitter, Iqbal said:

    Iqbal was earlier also arrested in connection to the probe into the sports complex built in his hometown.

    Construction of the complex, which includes a cricket stadium, gymnasium, squash and hockey ground, began in 2009 when Iqbal was in the opposition. But work picked up pace when the PML-N came to power in the 2013 election. That year, Iqbal was appointed the minister for planning and development.

    Below is the charge sheet against the politician from December last year:

    • Illegally increasing the cost of the Narowal Sports City complex from Rs35.410 million to Rs97.520 million, without approval from the Planning Commission’s Central Development Working Party (CDWP). Ahsan, adds NAB, was the minister of planning and development and the deputy chairman of the CDWP at the time. Rather than taking the project to the CDWP, he instead approved it on his own.

    • Iqbal initiated the project without a feasibility study, which was in violation of the development manual of the Planning Commission.

    • After the 18th Amendment, the project was devolved to the Punjab government in 2012 to be completed with its own resources. Yet, reads the charge sheet, funds were taken from the federal government to bankroll the complex. Iqbal, it adds, “further enhanced the scope of the project without any demand from the provincial government”.

  • Pakistan gets most advanced Chinese warship amid New Delhi’s tensions with Beijing

    Pakistan gets most advanced Chinese warship amid New Delhi’s tensions with Beijing

    China has launched an advanced warship for Pakistan, the largest it has built for any country, and the first among the four most sophisticated naval platforms it is readying for the Pakistan Navy amid deepening military and strategic ties.

    According to reports, the Type 054A/P, a guided missile frigate, is the largest combat ship China has sold to a foreign navy and is “an important milestone” for China’s military export sector.

    The acquisition of the warship will double the combat power of the Pakistani Navy’s surface fleet, Chinese state media reported. By 2021, the Pakistan Navy is expected to have three more similar warships in its fleet.

    The Chinese state-owned Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai held the launch ceremony for the advanced warship with top officials and naval officers attending the function.

    The shipyard is a wholly owned subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the largest builders in the country.

    The ship launch took place two days after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi discussed the situation in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir region with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during the second round of the China-Pakistan foreign ministers’ dialogue in Hainan.

    The development comes at a time while New Delhi is locked in tension with both Pakistan and China over disputed boundaries and the abrogation of Article 370 in the troubled valley.

    India is reportedly closely monitoring the military cooperation between its two neighbours.

  • ‘Ask Agriculture Department’: Govt hints at deal between Nawaz and establishment for London departure

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Adviser on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar has told a reporter, who attempted to equate the decision to allow former premier Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad with an NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance], to ask the “Agriculture Department” instead, implying the involvement of a secret agency.

    NRO is a controversial ordinance issued by then president Pervez Musharraf in 2007 to grant amnesty to politicians facing corruption, money laundering and murder cases.

    Akbar’s response, an open secret in power circles, came during a press conference held Saturday to announce that the federal government had approached the United Kingdom (UK) government for Nawaz’s extradition.

    The government in November last year had allowed the former premier to travel abroad for medical treatment after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended his sentence in Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference for eight weeks. He has been residing in London ever since.

    “Ask the Agriculture Department,” Akbar said when asked about the former premier’s London departure.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Akbar, however, later clarified that his statement did not refer to any state institution, adding that he had referred to “adept” PML-N leadership that “fooled the entire nation into believing Nawaz’s forged medical reports”.

    Independent observers claim the decision to allow Nawaz to leave the country was a result of a silent agreement reached between the establishment and the PML-N as the alleged deal had come on the heal of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s vow to not give NRO to those facing corruption probes.

    ‘AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT’:

    The term “agriculture department” for secret agencies was coined in 2018 when a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate for Punjab Assembly alleged that he was manhandled by the security personnel of a secret agency over his refusal to withdraw from the upcoming elections.

    In a statement to media, Rana Iqbal Siraj had said the personnel raided his godown and threatened to destroy his business in case of non-compliance.

    However, Siraj had later backtracked his statement, saying it was the officials of the agriculture department who raided his godown and not the security personnel.

  • ‘PPP trying to occupy Karachi’

    ‘PPP trying to occupy Karachi’

    Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chief Mustafa Kamal has claimed that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is trying to occupy Karachi, warning that if it did so, the people would take the Sindh government away from it as well.

    Addressing a protest amid heavy rain a day after the Sindh cabinet approved the creation of a seventh district in the city, Kamal said neither the “Sindh card” nor the “Muhajir card” would work anymore.

    “We will never allow our motherland, Sindh, to be divided and nor will we let anyone rip its heart, Karachi,” he stated.

    “The PPP is fanning ethnic hatred in the province, but we will thwart every conspiracy hatched by it or the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) to create rifts between Sindhis and Muhajirs for their own political gains.”

    Kamal claimed that the PPP-led provincial government always made decisions on ethnic grounds, pointing to changes in National Assembly seats in the city following the census.

    ‘65% FUNDS USED IN OTHER PROVINCES GENERATED IN KARACHI’:

    Separately, The Express Tribune has quoted Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar as claiming that approximately 65 per cent of developmental funds used in other provinces are generated in Karachi but the port city remains neglected.

    Inaugurating a library and art gallery at Markaz-e-Islami in Aisha Manzil, he said that people of Karachi paid Rs1,100 to Rs1,200 in taxes, but received nothing in return.

    Akhtar maintained that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation had spent all the funds at its disposal to facilitate the people. “We tried our best to carry out uplift works despite having limited resources.”

  • NAB launches new investigation into contracts awarded by Buzdar govt

    NAB launches new investigation into contracts awarded by Buzdar govt

    National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday launched an investigation into contracts allotted during the tenure of current Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar.

    According to sources, the anti-graft watchdog has sought records from Lahore Development Authority (LDA), Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (TEPA), and other departments in this regard.

    The bureau has also directed the concerned authorities to submit details of key development projects’ contracts, in a move some elements claim is aimed at getting rid of the provincial chief executive despite NAB’s repeated reminders that it is an autonomous institution.

    Earlier, CM Buzdar had appeared before NAB Lahore office in a case of allegedly issuing a liquor licence to a hotel in violation of the law.

    Buzdar handed over all the documents regarding the issuance of a liquor license to the anti-corruption bureau and said, “I do not know anything as I am not prepared. Give me time to think and answer these questions”.

    Meanwhile, former director-general (DG) of Excise Akram Ashraf Gondal also recorded his statement and claimed he had informed Chief Minister Office that issuance of the liquor license will be against the policy and rules as NOCs were not complete.

    However, he approved the license on the request of then principal secretary to chief minister Raheel Ahmed Siddiqui.

    Former Excise DG Akram Ashraf Gondal had also submitted an application to become an approver in the case.